A suction belt of the generic type is known from DE 199 09 031 A1. The suction belt comprises a woven fabric from warp threads and weft threads between which pores or openings, respectively, are located such that an air permeability of the woven fabric that enables the tobacco or the filter material, respectively, to be suctioned by means of a vacuum results. In order for the conveyance of the tobacco or of the filter material, respectively, to be improved, one side of the belt is embodied so as to be smooth, and the other side is embodied so as to be extremely rough, the latter in this case being achieved by a specific type of weave in which the weft threads are raised. Moreover, the rough side is intended to enable improved engagement with a drive wheel or similar, so as to be able to drive the suction belt in a reliable manner.
A further suction belt of the generic type of which the ends in a connection region are connected by means of laser welding so as to form a continuous suction belt is described in DE 10 2011 006 803 B4. The suction belt likewise comprises a woven fabric having warp threads and weft threads between which openings for suctioning the tobacco or the filter material, respectively, are located.
Similar suction belts which likewise comprise woven fabrics of warp threads and weft threads and openings that are located between the warp threads and the weft threads are also known from DE 10 2012 204 970 A1, DE 10 2012 211 069 B4 or DE 10 2012 223 074 A1.
In the case of most suction belts there is frequently an issue with the fact that comparatively many tobacco fibers to be transported are suctioned through the suction belt and thus do not arrive at the location to where they are supposed to be transported. This is a comparatively minor problem in the case of particulate matter since the latter is in most instances not desirable in cigarettes anyway. However, if these are comparatively large fibers, a comparatively high loss of up to 10% of the tobacco material invested can be incurred, which can lead to respective losses in financial terms. While it is indeed possible in principle for the tobacco fibers that have been suctioned through the suction belt to be used again, this likewise represents a complexity which leads to undesirable costs.